With a starting 200 Arabic books digitized, the Arabic Collections Online project brings Arab academic literature available across borders and online, for the first time. A project funded by the New York University Abu Dhabi, the collection aims to expand to 15,000 volumes.
Conceived early in 2007, the project aims to address a fundamental need in the Arab world and beyond: Arab academic literature, accessible and for free. Unlike several institutions in the Arab world which are restrictive, all the site requires is an internet connection.
“High-school kids in Sudan can use these books – and from that perspective it’s almost a repatriation project of bringing the books back to the communities from where they originate,” NYU Abu Dhabi’s library director Virginia Danielson told The National. Other universities, such as Princeton University, Columbia University, Cornell University and the American University of Beirut will also contribute books from their collections.
For more information: Visit Arabic Collections Online.
